Turnabout by Laurel Greer

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Title: Turnabout
Author: Laurel Greer
Series: Vino and Veritas #9
Published by: Heart Eyes Press
Release Date: May 6, 2021
Format: eARC
Pages: 302
Genres: Romance, LGBT, Contemporary
Source: Heart Eyes Press
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring, Lenoreo's 2021 Diversity Reading Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon
My rating:

Blurb:

“Auden and Carter are the swoony heroes I didn’t know I needed in my life! Turnabout is spectacular, and everyone should read it.” USA Today bestselling author Sarina Bowen

I don’t have time for an unplanned visit home to help out in my father’s struggling letterpress shop. My stint in Vermont will have to be short, for a couple of reasons:

One, I’m a busy executive trying to climb the corporate ladder.

Two, my ex is still my dad’s right-hand man in the shop. And I am not over him.

Nothing has changed at the Burlington shop. Auden still has his infuriatingly sexy Scottish accent. He’s still hot, and still stubborn. Between operating the antique press with his shirtsleeves rolled up, and moonlighting at Burlington’s hottest inclusive wine bar, he pushes every one of my attraction buttons.

My falling-in-love-again buttons, too. Except I’m his polar opposite. I love change, and taking chances. Everything he avoids in life.

So why am I trying to convince him to reach for more than we’ve ever dreamed of—the possibility of forever?

Turnabout is a second-chance romance with interfering family, groveling, and a large helping of artisan stationery geekery.

My Review:

I received a free copy through Heart Eyes Press in exchange for an honest and unbiased review/opinion.

4 stars — I’m not sure if it was my mood, but while I LOVED parts of this story, I found my mind wandering while reading as well.  I think it doesn’t help when there’s a lot of hype for a book…my brain doesn’t do good with hype.  Which is stupid, but there it is.

I actually found Carter and Auden’s story to be really unique and well developed.  I appreciated the things they were both struggling with, and how those things frequently didn’t match and made things more complicated.  I do feel like it almost went on too long or something.  It’s not that there wasn’t growth throughout the story, but I will admit it was more on Carter’s part than Auden’s in my opinion.  I think what bothered me is that I didn’t get a neat wrapped up in a pretty bow convenient fix for Auden’s hangups and particularly his relationship with his mom.  What I got was way more realistic, but I kind of wanted him to more clearly understand that her own hangups were doing him a disservice.  I wanted some resolution there or something.  Something more than what we got.  I kind of wanted Carter’s resolution with his father to be a bit more clear and movie ending-ish too.  His father really held on right to the end, and I was so mad at him and the way he treated the ones he loved.  I feel like he got off easy if that makes sense.

I really enjoyed the two of them together, but I think I was missing a bit of chemistry between them.  Not a lot, just a bit.  Like, I just wasn’t all in when they started getting into steamy scenes, and I have no idea why.  Might just be me and my mood.  Like, for me, the scene where Auden helps Carter at the press was the most gah in the whole book (though it was EPICALLY gah).

I’m kind of wondering if this would have been a book I would have enjoyed listening to more.  Sometimes there are authors whose writing I just need the help of a wonderful narrator to bring out all the underlying emotion in…I’m a bit defective that way.  And, I mean, it doesn’t hurt that I’m dying to hear Auden’s accent.  I will definitely be checking it out for a reread when the audio is produced.

I enjoyed the cast of Carter’s crazy family, especially his aunts.  They felt like a real family — well meaning but not subtle.

And I will admit, I LOVED watching the boys geek out over letterpresses and stationary and all that stuff.  Makes me want to visit a letterpress and watch them work.

So yeah.  Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoyed this book…it’s just that whole high expectations thing that got me.  But I wholeheartedly look forward to an audio experience when it hopefully comes later this year.